Summer Intensive Weekend Art Adventures

Areas of Study • Art Adventure Weekends

The following Art Adventures are designed to supplement students’ Summer Intensive experiences. Each Adventure is designed to bring students from different disciplines together, empowering them to enhance their creative thinking and problem solving abilities, collaborate in groups, and turn their ideas into realities. Students do not need prior skills or knowledge to participate in any of the Adventures.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION PACKET

Each two-day Adventure will run from 12:15 – 4:15 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Please review the following Art Adventure descriptions and select one Adventure per weekend. The $50 fee per weekend entitles you to eight hours of art-centered instruction.

Students who do not wish to participate in the Art Adventures may go home for the weekend(s), or be supervised in the residence hall by the Counseling staff. Students deciding to go home may have their parents may pick them up at the dorm at 5:00 pm on Friday and may return on Sunday at 7 pm.

Please note that space in each Adventure is limited to 20 participants. Adventure(s) will be filled on a first come first served basis. To assure a spot on your preferred Adventures return pages 3 and 4 of the application along with your fees by May 15th.

WEEKEND #1
JULY 19th and 20th

Masked Discovery
Instructor: Rebecca Bernard
Ms. Bernard will be bringing her extensive knowledge from a year of studying Commedia Dell’ Arte in Italy back to Richmond with Masked Discovery. Students will create masks informed by character research and discovery through personal connection. Not only will students learn about the history of Commedia Dell’ Arte masks, they will create a physical score, and perform it, while wearing the masks they have made during the workshop.

Materials to bring:
- Clothes you can readily move in
- Images that strike/inspire you, such as magazine clippings, fabric swatches, etc.

Introduction to Glassworking: Hot Glass
Instructor: Anthony Cioe
Hot Glass will cover basic methods of manipulating and constructing molten glass, which will provide each student with an understanding of the inherent qualities of glass as an artistic medium. The workshop will focus on developing technical skills, teamwork, and experimentation in order to convey a student’s ideas in glass. Students will make both solid and hollow objects in this two day workshop.

Materials to bring:
- Sunglasses
- Long Pants
- All cotton clothing
- NO SANDALS ARE ALLOWED

The Green Scene: Creating Artists’ Books by Turning Trash into Treasure
Instructor: Erin Neff
The possibilities for an artist’s book are endless, as artists’ books do not have to be in traditional book format. The class will begin with a short discussion, and a tour of the extensive collection of artists’ books in the VCU library searching for ideas and inspiration.

Using found materials each student will experiment and build his/her own artist’s book during this two day workshop. Books can range from functional journals to sculptural treasures.

Materials to bring:
- Scissors
- Glue
- Sharpies
- A variety of found paper, packaging, printed paper, and any recycled or waste paper such as boxes, labels, newspapers, junk mail, plastic envelope windows, etc.

WEEKEND #2
JULY 26th - 27th

Introduction to Jewelry Making for the Next Generation
Instructor: Gabriel Craig
Mr. Craig will begin this workshop by discussing current trends in studio and designer jewelry. He will discuss contemporary materials, technology and social trends that may influence the creation of each student’s own workshop creations.

Students will learn the following techniques to create their own jewelry: sawing, drilling, filing, sanding, joining, roller printing, stamping, patination, and sandblasting. At the conclusion of the workshop, students will have one or two finished jewelry pieces, and a sketchbook of ideas for future use.

Materials to bring:
- 10 sheets of plain white paper
- Standard manila envelope OR 1 sheet of colored construction paper 8.5”x11” or larger
- Drawing implements (pens, pencils, colored pencils, markers)

Making Your Mark
Instructor: Jake Urbanski
Making Your Mark will focus on unconventional mark making in the painting and drawing processes. Students will be forced to confront their own ideas of painting and drawing as well as challenge themselves to create new images with the unusual “paints” and “brushes” provided.

Using Vik Muniz as inspiration, students will delve into the visual language of mark making and address the connotation of marks from smooth and calming to aggressive and confrontational.

Each student will create a series of works using sticks and stones to spoons and wire as “brushes” and everything from dirt and sawdust to clay and ketchup as “paint”.

Materials to bring:
- 1 paint brush, any size

Experimental 16mm Animation
Instructor: Bryant Dameron
Several examples of Stan Brakhage’s scratch films will be screened.
A discussion of abstract and representative forms will lead into the students applying experimental techniques of scratching the emulsion from, and painting unexposed 16mm film to create a short film.

Students will be introduced to the 16mm format, as well as the 16mm editing bench, viewer, film splicing and film projector. Participants will receive as DVD copy of their films.

Materials to bring:
- Assorted scalpels with a variety of blade sizes and shapes. (These can sometimes be found at a dollar store.)
- Water color paints
- Sharpies
- Highlighters and
- A blank DVD